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MTV's VJs of Yore: Where Are They Now?

MTV's original veejays pose in 2001, from left: Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson, Martha Quinn, Mark Goodman and Nina Blackwood.
MTV's original veejays pose in 2001, from left: Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson, Martha Quinn, Mark Goodman and Nina Blackwood.

They helped to usher in the age of music videos, and then they moved on -- to radio, very often. Here are some updates on video jockeys from MTV's past, starting with the original five.

Martha Quinn

After leaving MTV in 1990, Quinn stayed in television, working as both actor and anchor. In 2005, she joined Sirius Satellite Radio, where she hosts a weekly show, Martha Quinn Presents: Gods of the Big '80s.

J.J. Jackson

Jackson returned to radio in Los Angeles after his stint on MTV. He was host for a number of successful radio programs before he suffered a fatal heart attack in March 2004. He was 62.

Alan Hunter

Since his 1987 departure from MTV, Hunter formed a production company, Hunter Films, with his brother Hugh and co-founded the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival in Birmingham. He is currently a host on Sirius Satellite Radio's 80s music channel.

Nina Blackwood

Blackwood’s post-MTV career has included a number of acting roles, including a tour with the 2003 road company of The Vagina Monologues. Currently, she produces two syndicated radio programs -- Nina Blackwood’s Absolutely 80s and Nina Blackwood’s New Wave Nation -- and is a host on Sirius Satellite Radio.

Mark Goodman

After leaving MTV in the 80s, Mark Goodman went on to work at radio stations and made some television appearances. For a time, he was music supervisor on Desperate Housewives. He currently co-hosts Big 80s on Sirius Satellite Radio.

Lisa "Kennedy" Montgomery

After spending the '90s at MTV, the snarky, bespectacled Kennedy hosted the game show Friend or Foe on the Game Show Network in 2002 and appeared as a commentator on VH1's Best Week Ever in 2004. Last year, she began hosting the Fox News Channel's Reality Remix.

Kurt Loder

Rolling Stone editor Kurt Loder joined MTV in 1988 as anchor for the channel's weekly news show The Week in Rock, and hosted several MTV news specials. He continues to supply the channel and MTV radio network with news and views. He also writes for MTVNews.com and has a movie review forum on the channel.

John Norris

John Norris came to MTV in the late '80s as an alternate for Kurt Loder. He is currently a news correspondent based in New York, where he covers music, entertainment, pop culture, politics and social issues.

Adam Curry

An MTV veejay from 1987 to 1994, Adam Curry went on to become a Web entrepreneur from the mid- to late-1990s, and later moved to the Netherlands to work on a morning show. He has since become a leader in podcasting.

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